2023-07-15 09:37:40
Irun is already fully immersed in Roman times. The Dies Oiassonis festival takes the Irundarra town back to the times of Oiasso with a series of activities that will help its citizens understand what life was like in those times when the Romans inhabited the same land in which they inhabit today .
Among the numerous events that took place yesterday in the city of Irundarra, one of them highlighted what Roman gastronomy was like. What the Romans ate, how they prepared their dishes and what culinary tastes they had.
To bring this type of issue closer to the public, Fréderic Duhart, historian, anthropologist, writer and disseminator; Rosa Tovar, writer and columnist; and David Chamorro, director of Food Idea Lab.
“Sometimes the modernity of the Romans surprises”
Frederic Duhart
Anthropologist, historian and writer
Through his conferences, attendees were able to see first-hand the customs and heritage that we have collected from the past. The first to speak was Frédéric Duhart, who, thanks to “a game to see Roman stories through Basque food”, transported everyone present back in time to Ancient Rome.
Thus, using foods as typical of Basque cuisine as Idiazabal cheese, cider, beer, wine or bread, he tried to mention the dishes that most resembled them in Roman times, at the same time that he described the techniques and utensils that were used in the past and that still have a lot of weight in our customs. “Sometimes its modernity is surprising,” he repeated over and over again. “Times have crossed” and today many do not even consider the origin of some of the most everyday things that we use on a daily basis. A great majority were invented by the Romans years ago.
The writer and columnist Rosa Tovar took over from Duhart to review the gastronomic customs of the Romans and their evolution, as well as any influence they left behind and which is still very present today.
Tovar used as a base two authors of the time, Caton and Varrón, who represent two different eras and gastronomic influences of the Roman Empire. As he pointed out, the works of these two artists serve even now “to see the journeys of the kitchen, which come and go”.
Thus, Tovar argued that many of the names used in ancient times to name food are used today as a basis for establishing other names.
roman origin
The last to speak in front of the Irundarra public interest was the cook David Chamorro. The man from La Rioja tried to make his listeners understand “how things from antiquity have come to the present day”, always making it clear that “not everything has survived”. In any case, in his view, many of the sauces, foods and condiments that are the basis of diets around the world have their origin in Roman fermentations. One of the most important and famous fermentations during the Roman Empire was without a doubt garum. A sauce that today is still a well-known food.
Regarding the recipe that was used in ancient times, David Chamorro revealed that garum, at the time, was nothing more than “a mixture of different fish, spices, salt and other condiments that were left to mature in the sun.” In addition, it is relevant to remember that the territory covered by the Roman Empire was very extensive, so the garum that was made in every corner of the Roman republic was different, it had its own nuances.
The presentations ended with the tasting of small appetizers prepared by the Riojan chef himself. The first, a gummy made from grapes, very juicy, sweet and delicious for the palates of those present. Afterwards, the public was able to taste a fish soup made as similar as possible to how the ancient Romans cooked it, which undoubtedly helped to imagine the customs and tastes they had at that time.
Friday’s day closed with a dinner based on typical Roman gastronomy, which took place from 9:30 p.m. Irun has become Rome for a few days.
#Roman #gastronomy #settles #Irun